Police Uniforms to Change for First Time in 10 Years... 130,000 Sets of Old Uniforms to Be Recycled

As police uniform designs change for the first time in 10 years, a large volume of old uniforms will be reborn as bags, new clothes, and building materials.

Following the uniform overhaul, the Korean National Police Agency expects 130,000 sets of uniforms to be discarded over the next two years, and is pursuing a pilot project to upcycle and recycle them instead of incineration.

The National Police Agency and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the circular use of police uniforms today (Sept. 9) at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, together with the Korea Environment Corporation and the apparel and recycling industries.

This marks the first time a public sector organization has established an upcycling and recycling system for group uniforms.

Discarded police uniforms have traditionally been incinerated at a scale of about 300 tons annually.

In particular, with the police uniform design being revamped this year for the first time in 10 years, it is estimated that discarded uniforms, including field jumpers and vests from 130,000 employees at the headquarters and affiliated organizations, will be generated over the next two years.

The pilot project targets official uniforms, duty uniforms, tactical uniforms, spring/autumn and winter jumpers, extreme cold-weather parkas, and reflective vests.

After discarded uniforms are separated and discharged from police boxes, sub-stations, and police stations nationwide and gathered at provincial police agencies, pre-processing companies will remove accessories such as zippers and buttons and dismantle them by material.
Uniforms processed in this way will undergo cutting and sewing to be repurposed into bags, wallets, and dolls, or transformed into yarn and fabric through shredding and carding processes to be remade into gloves and scarves.

Materials that are difficult to turn into yarn can be used to produce building materials or furniture by applying pressure to wadding.

Chemical recycling will also be pursued, which involves separating polyester from blended fibers, breaking it down to the molecular level, and re-synthesizing it.

Regenerated yarn produced through this process will be used to manufacture new clothing.

The Korea Environment Corporation will store the collected uniforms in a stockpile warehouse to regulate supply and demand, while the Korea Packaging Recycling Cooperative will connect pre-processed volumes with the demands of upcycling and recycling companies.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will oversee the project, including recognizing discarded police uniforms as recyclable resources exempt from waste regulations.

Starting with police uniforms, the government plans to expand the pilot project to other group uniforms, such as military uniforms, firefighter uniforms, and school uniforms.

(Photo: Yonhap News / Provided by the National Police Agency)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.